Call it creepy, but Spotify knows what we like. The trendy music streaming service recently analyzed about 20 billion users' song-listening habits in nearly 1,000 places worldwide to discover what folks uniquely listened to in their respective cities and towns. Their findings included Spokane, revealing what tunes we're more likely to jam out to than folks in other places.
The Billboard charts and Top 40 dance clubs keep us up on this week's most popular music — apparently, Taylor Swift is never, ever, ever going anywhere. But musical tastes have always been regional, rooted in a community's livelihood and culture. Scanning through a particular city's playlist could offer insights about what it's like to live there.
Here's what we gleaned from Spokane's Spotify-curated playlist:
OLD NEWS
Spokane residents — as a whole; please don't wrap all of us up in this — can't get enough of pop-country music (Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line). Contemporary Christian artists (Hillsong United, MercyMe, Matt Maher) also make a strong showing. We're proud of our Chewelah homeboy Allen Stone, and won't stop listening to rapper Tech N9ne. Given that these genres/artists put on the shows that consistently sell out the Knitting Factory and Spokane Arena, the music service has our city pegged fairly well.
NEW NEWS
Steven Tyler, the Aerosmith frontman turned American Idol judge, is singing country now. Spokane especially likes his recent single "Love Is Your Name." And — no joke — people in town are into Finger Eleven's rockish hit "Paralyzer," which came out in 2007.
HOW WE COMPARE
Spokane likes country music way more than Houston, which prefers its rap music dirty. Seattle disproportionately likes the music of Ratatat and Wilco, along with selections from Northwest bands like the Head and the Heart, Odesza and Chastity Belt, but didn't listen to as much Macklemore and Ryan Lewis as expected. Meanwhile, New York City likes Tame Impala and Drake, and Berlin is into Jakob Dylan.
CONCLUSION
We're set in our ways here. Country may always be king, but through music streaming services, local record stores and live music shows, there's always more music to hear and fall in love with. Don't get stuck in 2007. ♦
• "21," Hunter Hayes
• "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16," Keith Urban
• "Perfect World," Allen Stone (playing Knitting Factory Dec. 2)
• "Buy Me A Boat," Chris Janson
• "Cruise," Florida Georgia Line
• "Heavydirtysoul," Twenty One Pilots
• "Heart Like Heaven," Hillsong United
• "I Love This Life," LoCash
• "Love Is Your Name," Steven Tyler
• "Am I A Psycho?" Tech N9ne feat. B.o.B, Hopsin (playing Knitting Factory Oct. 20)
